Vehicle deceleration warning system

ABSTRACT

A warning system housed in a license plate bracket and installed on a vehicle. The system includes a self-contained power source, an accelerometer to measure the deceleration force of the vehicle, and a microprocessor unit (including a microprocessor chip). When the system senses that the vehicle is decelerating at a rate greater than a threshold level, it illuminates warning lights provided on the license plate bracket to thereby alert drivers of neighboring vehicles of the vehicle&#39;s rapid deceleration. The warning system is self-contained and self-powered to avoid the need to, and associated drawbacks of, drawing from the vehicle&#39;s power source.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and hereby claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/405,574, filed Aug. 23, 2002.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a system for supplementing a vehicle's currentbrake system to more rapidly alert drivers of another vehicle's rapiddeceleration.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The motorways of the world are becoming increasingly dangerous with theadded increase of automobiles per household. Added to the increase inmotor vehicle traffic is the increase in speed of each vehicle on themotorway. Many municipal transportation authorities recommend a distancebetween vehicles in motion of one second per 10 miles an hour of timeelapse between the leading vehicle and trailing vehicle. Therefore, at aspeed of 60 miles per hour motorists should allow at least 6 seconds inbetween each vehicle. Statistics show that over 12 million autoaccidents happen annually with over half of those accidents being a rearend type of collision. Forty thousand deaths occur every year from theseaccidents and over 2 million injuries occur. All of these statisticsindicate that the recommended distance between moving vehicles is notbeing adhered to. The ability to change driver's skill is difficult,therefore a device is necessary to help reduce rear end collisions atmotorway speeds.

Devices exist that heighten other driver's awareness of a vehicle thatis slowing down rapidly. These devices have utilized the center highmounted stop lamp of the vehicle and make the center high mounted stoplamp flash when the brake pedal is depressed. Awareness is increased atfirst, but with time drivers become desensitized or even annoyed at theflashing center high mounted brake light. In time, this desensitizationundermines the effectiveness of the brake light in preventing andreducing rear end collisions.

Other devices cease flashing the center high mounted brake lamp after aprescribed amount of time. These devices tamper with the vehiclesfactory wiring system, which, unknown to many vehicle owners, can voidany warranty from the manufacturer of the vehicle. To date, theabove-described devices are operable to modulate the stop lamp orseparate light principally when the driver of the vehicle is depressinga brake pedal or otherwise actuating the brake system of the vehicle.Accordingly, the proposed devices are not continuously operable, sincethey are only energized when power to the brake lights is also applied.In an instance where a driver of a vehicle may not be aware of a brakingsituation and therefore no depression of the brake pedal occurs, thesedevices are rendered useless.

Other devices have been developed to utilize a solid-state systemcomposed of an accelerometer to measure the deceleration force of avehicle and a microprocessor to energize the brake light or otherillumination device on a vehicle. While these devices are closer tocreating a successful design to reduce the likeliness of a rear endcollision, most of these proposed devices are too complicated toretrofit into an existing vehicle. These devices also must utilize thevehicle's 12-volt system, which requires someone to tamper with the verycomplicated wiring harness of the vehicle. Vehicles generally builtafter 1990 have an On Board Diagnostic System Series II (OBDS II). OBDSII has more computing power than the Apollo spaceships designed by NASA.A wiring harness meltdown due to a simple short developed from one ofthe proposed devices which utilizes the vehicle wiring system couldresult in a system failure of the OBDS II, which controls such lifesaving vehicle devices as the Antilock braking system, Airbag DeploymentSystem, and all warning illumination systems. Therefore, the devicesdiscussed above should not be utilized due to these serious safetyconcerns.

In addition, many devices utilize potential success of the solid-stateaccelerometer and microprocessor combination to create a usefulembodiment, but they propose to utilize the vehicle brake lampconfiguration and not the hazard illumination lights of the vehicle.Many vehicles have amber hazard light combinations rather than red,thereby drawing more immediate attention to the vehicle in hazardousconditions such as breakdowns, fog or low light conditions, or postaccident conditions. Any vehicle equipped with an amber hazardillumination system has already passed strict department oftransportation rules to allow for a flashing amber hazard light in thatcountry. In contrast, some municipalities do not allow for a flashingbrake lamp. Thus, many of the devices that utilize the originalmanufacturer's equipment brake light system of a vehicle as a warningsystem may not be legal on many roadways. Finally, devices that utilizethe primary brake light of a vehicle potentially expose that vehicle toa complete loss of any brake light indication if there is a systemfailure. Systems that utilize the amber warning lights of a vehicle arenot utilizing the primary means of warning other drivers as to thebraking of a vehicle and are much safer in a real world scenario.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,204 to Bloomfield et al. describes an anti-collisionsafety light for a vehicle that utilizes a solid state accelerometer anda microprocessor, but this device utilizes the vehicle's power systemexposing the vehicle to a complete wiring meltdown resulting in severesafety limitations and expensive electrical diagnosis and repair.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,249,219 to Perez et al. describes an anti-collisionsafety light for a vehicle that utilizes a solid-state accelerometer anda microprocessor that draws from the vehicle's power system and thuspresents the same drawbacks as the Bloomfield device. Moreover, thisdevice also utilizes the red brake light of the vehicle which does notcommand as much attention as an amber hazard lamp, and furthermore somegovernment municipalities do not allow for a brake lamp to flash,thereby potentially making a vehicle with this device illegal on someroad ways.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,023,221 to Michelotti describes an anti-collision safetylight for a vehicle that utilizes a solid state accelerometer and amicroprocessor which will energize the hazard warning light system of avehicle, but this device also utilizes the vehicles power system andthus presents drawbacks similar to the above-mentioned devices of priorart references. This device also must be manually reset by the vehicleoperator, or will reset after the microprocessor detects a series ofpositive acceleration values consistent to normal vehicle operations.Increased calculations by a micro processing unit increase the costs ofdevelopment and manufacturing and introduce more opportunity for errorin the unit than a system that will simply cease to activate after a setamount of time.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,753 to Craig et al. describes an anti-collisionsafety light for a vehicle that utilizes a solid state accelerometer anda microprocessor that energizes the hazard warning light system of avehicle, but again this device draws from the vehicle's power system andthus presents the associated drawbacks discussed above. Moreover, thereare many complicated devices involved in this device such as a signalgenerator including a number of inertial switches, an oscillator, andfour Schmitt triggers all of which expose this device to many points offailure and may be difficult to retro fit on a vehicle. This device isalso dependant upon the depressing of the vehicle's brake pedal and isnot effective if a vehicle operator does not have a chance to depressthe brake pedal.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,493 to Miller is a proposed device that can beretrofit to an existing vehicle, but activation of the warning system isdependant upon the driver of the vehicle removing his foot from thevehicle's accelerator pedal. This device also utilizes an amber lightunit not factory installed on the vehicle and therefore may not bepermitted by many road authorities.

Thus, a need exists for a vehicle deceleration warning system that doesnot draw from the vehicle's power supply and for a system thatunambiguously relates to neighboring drivers that a vehicle is rapidlydecelerating.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention supplements a vehicle's current braking system byproviding an additional warning system to more rapidly alert drivers ofneighboring vehicles as to a rapid decrease in acceleration force in asevere driving situation and thereby reduce the risk of rear-endcollisions. The system includes a self-contained power source, anaccelerometer to measure the deceleration force of the vehicle, and amicroprocessor unit (including a microprocessor chip), all of which arefitted onto a vehicle. When the system senses that the vehicle isdecelerating at a rate greater than a threshold level, it activateslights on the vehicle to warn neighboring drivers.

In one embodiment, the system is designed to illuminate the vehicle'shazard illumination lights for a prescribed amount of time and thencease the illumination sequence. In another embodiment, the system ishoused in a license plate bracket equipped with warning lights. Thesesystems are self-contained and self powered, therefore negating the needto tamper with the vehicle's factory installed wiring harness.

It is an object of this invention to facilitate a visible warning signalto surrounding vehicles as to a rapid deceleration in vehicle speed soto avoid a rear-end collision situation.

It is another object of this invention to provide a warning system thatdoes not draw from the vehicle's power supply.

It is another object of this invention to provide an easy to install andautomated device that will protect occupants of vehicles equipped withthe invention from rear-end collision situations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the warning system according to oneembodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is the perspective view of FIG. 1 with internal components shownin broken lines.

FIG. 3 is an exploded side elevation view of the warning systemaccording to another embodiment of this invention with internalcomponents shown in broken lines.

FIG. 4 is an exploded side elevation view of the warning systemaccording to yet another embodiment of this invention with internalcomponents shown in broken lines.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the warning systems of FIGS. 3 and4.

FIG. 6 is the warning system of FIG. 4 shown being attached to avehicle.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the warning system of FIG. 4 attached toa vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a hazard light activation warning system 10directed to illuminating the hazard lights of a vehicle in response tothe vehicle's deceleration. The warning system includes a self-containedpower source 12, an accelerometer 14 or other device to measure thedeceleration force of the vehicle, and a microprocessor unit 16(including a microprocessor chip) to activate the illumination sequenceof the vehicle's hazard illumination lights (not shown) for a prescribedamount of time and then cease the illumination sequence.

The power source 12 may be, but does not have to be, a battery (e.g., analkaline, lithium, or other type of battery), preferably capable of atleast 1 year of life. Provision of an independent power sourceeliminates the need to tap into the vehicle factory installed wiringharness for power, which can cause electrical problems and ultimatelyvoid remaining factory warranty on the vehicle.

The accelerometer 14 is preferably, but does not have to be, a singleaxis accelerometer. The accelerometer detects the deceleration force ofthe vehicle and, upon sufficient force, signals the microprocessor unit16 to activate the hazard warning lights (generally by completion of acircuit which supplies current to the microprocessor unit). Themicroprocessor unit 16 controls the pulse rate and flashing period (bothof which may be adjusted) of the bulbs.

The warning system 10 may be easily retrofitted onto an existing vehiclewithout tampering with the vehicle's wiring harness leading to the12-volt power source. Installation of the warning system 10 may befacilitated by mounting (such as with screws 21) the power source 12,accelerometer 14, and microprocessor unit 16, all of which arepreferably contained in a single housing 20, at any location on thevehicle that allows for an accurate reading of the forward and backwardforces of the vehicle to be detected by the system's accelerometer 14.The system 10 is preferably, but does not have to be, housed in a toughand water-resistant ABS plastic housing 20 measuring roughly 5″×5″×3″.

Wire leads 22, 24 for connecting with the vehicle's hazard lightassembly protrude from the housing. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate two wireleads 22, 24, each for ultimately connecting to a bulb of the hazardlight assembly. The leads 22, 24 should have a length that allows themto reach from the housing 20, no matter where its position on thevehicle, to the rear hazard light assembly of the vehicle. The ends ofthe wire leads 22, 24 may be fitted with adapters 26, 28 for connectingthe system 10 to the specific type of hazard light bulb assembly for theparticular manufacturer of the vehicle. Most vehicle manufacturersoutsource the light bulbs and bulb assemblies from four majormanufacturers world wide, those manufacturers being, Sylvania, GeneralElectric, Bosch, and Phillips. Connecting the leads 22, 24 to the hazardlamp unit via the adaptors 26, 28 will complete the electrical circuitfrom the housing 20 to the lamp assembly thereby making the system 10active. The system 10 will preferably include a manual activation button(not shown) located on the exterior of the housing 20 that will allowthe user to confirm operation of the system 10.

In use, the system 10 works by sensing rapid deceleration levels greaterthan a threshold level and automatically activating the vehicle'sfactory equipped hazard-warning lights at a specified rate (e.g. 3flashes per second) for a specified duration (e.g., 7 seconds). Amicroprocessor chip, which can but does not have to have a manual testbutton, controls all functions. The system 10 can be overridden bydepressing the hazard warning light button in the vehicle cabin. Thesystem 10 is self-contained and self powered, therefore negating theneed to tamper with the vehicle's factory installed wiring harness.

In alternative embodiments of this invention (see FIGS. 3-7, where thesame reference numerals have been used to identify the same structure),a warning system 30 is housed in a license plate bracket 32 as currentlyutilized by millions of vehicles on the road. The bracket 32 may bemounted anywhere a license plate is utilized on a vehicle. The bracket32 is provided with warning lights 34 that are automatically activatedupon sufficient deceleration force of the vehicle to alert drivers ofsurrounding cars.

The license plate bracket 32 includes a front housing 36 and a backhousing 38, both of which are preferably, but do not have to be, madefrom a suitable plastic material. Other materials, such as metal, arealso suitable in this application. The front housing 36 and back housing38 can be secured together in any suitable way and by any suitablemeans, including a snap-fit connection, an interference fit, welding,melting, gluing, etc.

The front housing 36 houses light emitting diode (“LED”) warning lights34. While any type of lights may be used and any color(s) may be chosenfor the lights, bright and bold colors that easily attract attention arepreferable.

The system 30 includes a device, such as an accelerometer 46 andpreferably a single axis accelerometer, to measure the decelerationforce of the vehicle. The system 30 further includes a microprocessorunit 48 (including a microprocessor chip) to activate the illuminationsequence of the LED warning lights 34 for a prescribed amount of timeand then cease the illumination sequence.

The system 30 also preferably includes at least two self-contained powersources 44, 58 configured to power, in any combination, theaccelerometer 46, microprocessor unit 48, and warning lights 34. By wayonly of example, one power source can be provided to power theaccelerometer 46 and microprocessor unit 48 while another power sourcecan be provided to power warning lights 34. The power sources 44, 58 maybe, but do not have to be, batteries (e.g., an alkaline or lithiumbattery) capable of at least one year of life (but preferably more)under normal operation of the system. While multiple power sources 44,58 are depicted in FIGS. 3-5, a single power source may be used to powerthe accelerometer 46, microprocessor unit 48, and warning lights 34.Solar panel(s) 60 (see FIG. 5) may be provided on the bracket 32 torecharge the power source(s). Again, provision of independent powersources eliminates the need to tap into the vehicle factory installedwiring harness for power and thus avoids the problems associatedtherewith.

The power sources 44, 58, accelerometer 46, and microprocessor unit 48can be housed in either the front housing 36 (see FIG. 4) or the backhousing 38 (see FIG. 3) or some combination of both. These componentscan be mounted in any way and at any location in license plate bracket32 and are shown schematically in the drawings as broken linerectangular structures, the sizes of which are not drawn to scale. Thepower sources 44, 58, accelerometer 46, microprocessor unit 48, andwarning lights 48 can be connected together in any suitable way (such asby electrical connectors), all of which would be obvious to one of skillin the art, to operate as follows.

In use, the accelerometer 46 detects the deceleration force of thevehicle and, upon sufficient force, triggers the microprocessor unit 48to activate the LED warning lights 34 (generally by completion of acircuit which supplies current to the microprocessor unit). Uponsignaling by the accelerometer 46, the microprocessor unit 48 activatesthe LED warning lights 34. The microprocessor unit 48 controls the pulserate and flashing period (both of which may be adjusted) of the lights34. The system 30 may, but does not have to, include a manual activationbutton 62 (see FIG. 5) located on the license plate bracket 32 that willallow the user to confirm operation of the system 30.

To install the system 30, the license plate bracket 32 can be mounted tothe vehicle 52 using the existing holes for the license plate alreadyprovided on the vehicle 52. Mounting screws 50 (which can, but do nothave to be, the same screws provided for securing the license plate tothe vehicle) may be used to secure the license plate bracket 32 on thevehicle 52. The license plate bracket 32 may be equipped with a varietyof holes or mounting points to accommodate for variances in mountinglocations on vehicles. In this way, the license plate bracket 32 iseasily retrofitted onto an existing vehicle. While the drawings show thesystem 30 installed on the rear of a vehicle 52, the system 30 could beutilized anywhere on a vehicle and on any type and size of vehicleincluding trailers or towed vehicles.

The license plate 54 can be positioned between the front housing 36 andback housing 38 (see FIG. 3) or between the back housing 38 and thevehicle 52 (see FIG. 4).

To install the system 30 of FIG. 3, the back housing 38 (provided withapertures 66) is mounted onto the vehicle with screws 50. After the backhousing 38 is secured on the vehicle 52, the license plate 54 issandwiched between the back housing 38 and the front housing 36. Thefront housing 36 and backing housing 38 are secured together withconnectors tabs 56 extending from the front housing 36 that are receivedin slots 68 provided in the back housing 38. As explained above,however, the front housing 36 and back housing 38 may be securedtogether by any means.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the license plate 54 is positioned betweenthe back housing 38 and vehicle 52. Apertures 66 extend through thefront housing 36 and back housing 38. The apertures 66 receive mountingscrews 50 that secure both the license plate bracket 32 and the licenseplate 54 to the vehicle 52, as shown in FIG. 6. Once again, however, thelicense plate bracket 32 and the license plate 54 may be assembled andmounted on the vehicle 52 in any suitable way. FIG. 7 shows a vehicle 52with a license plate bracket 32 and license plate 54 mounted thereon.

In use, the system 30 works by sensing rapid deceleration levels greaterthan a threshold level and automatically activating the LED warninglights 34 at a specified rate (e.g. 3 flashes per second) for aspecified duration (e.g., 7 seconds). The system 30 is self-containedand self powered, therefore negating the need to tamper with thevehicle's factory installed wiring harness.

It should be noted that a vehicle can easily and quickly be equippedwith both system 10 and system 30 to further reduce the risk of beinginvolved in a collision.

The foregoing is provided for the purpose of illustrating, explainingand describing embodiments of the present invention. Furthermodifications and adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent tothose skilled in the art and may be made without departing from thespirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

1. A vehicle deceleration warning system comprising: a) a means formeasuring the deceleration force of a vehicle; b) a microprocessor unitconnected to the means for measuring the deceleration force; c) alicense plate bracket comprising at least one light connected to themicroprocessor unit; and d) at least one self-contained power source forsupplying power to the means for measuring the deceleration force, themicroprocessor unit, and the lights, wherein the means for measuring thedeceleration force, the microprocessor unit, and the at least oneself-contained power source are housed in the license plate bracket andwherein the at least one light illuminates when the means for measuringthe deceleration force measures a deceleration force of the vehiclegreater than a threshold force.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein thelicense plate bracket comprises a front housing adapted to be positioneddistal the vehicle and a back housing adapted to be positioned proximalthe vehicle.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the front housing housesat least one of the means for measuring the deceleration force, themicroprocessor unit, and the at least one self-contained power source.4. The system of claim 2, wherein the back housing houses at least oneof the means for measuring the deceleration force, the microprocessorunit, and the at least one self-contained power source.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the license plate bracket comprises plastic.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the license plate bracket comprises metal. 7.The system of claim 2, wherein the license plate bracket is adapted tohouse a license plate between the front and back housing.
 8. The systemof claim 1, wherein the license plate bracket is adapted to bepositioned adjacent a license plate mounted on a vehicle.
 9. The systemof claim 2, wherein the front and back housing are connected together.10. The system of claim 9, wherein the front and back housing are meltedtogether.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the front and back housingare connected together via at least one of a snap-fit connection and atleast one screw.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least oneself-contained power source comprises a battery.
 13. The system of claim1, further comprising at least one solar panel.
 14. The system of claim1, further comprising a manual activation button to illuminate the atleast one light.
 15. The system of claim 1, wherein the microprocessorunit controls illumination of the at least one light.
 16. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one light is positioned on the fronthousing.
 17. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one lightcomprises a light emitting diode.
 18. A vehicle deceleration warningsystem and housing comprising: a) a means for measuring the decelerationforce of a vehicle; b) a microprocessor unit connected to the means formeasuring the deceleration force; c) a plastic license plate bracketcomprising a front housing adapted to be positioned distal the vehicleand a back housing adapted to be positioned proximal the vehicle,wherein the front housing comprises at least one light connected to themicroprocessor unit and wherein the license plate bracket is adapted tohouse a license plate between the front and back housing; and d) atleast one self-contained power source for supplying power to the meansfor measuring the deceleration force, the microprocessor unit, and thelights, wherein the means for measuring the deceleration force, themicroprocessor unit, and the at least one self-contained power sourceare housed in the license plate bracket and wherein the at least onelight illuminates when the means for measuring the deceleration forcemeasures a deceleration force of the vehicle greater than a thresholdforce.
 19. A method of warning drivers of a vehicle's rapid decelerationcomprising installing the vehicle deceleration warning system of claim 1on the vehicle.
 20. A vehicle comprising the vehicle decelerationwarning system of claim 1.